Recycling is all about every person making small changes in their lifestyle to benefit a bigger picture. Your neighborhood has endless possibility to start helping our environment by recycling, starting with easy things like cardboard and paper! Cardboard and paper are implemented into our daily lives in ways we don’t even realize: food products, retail packaging, education materials and much, much more. Here are some steps to get your community engaged in recycling these products!

Create a Plan

If you’re going to head-up this program for your community, it’s best to start by brainstorming and coming up with a plan. While it’s important to be flexible, it’s also a good idea to come ready with an outline of your goals. Some things to consider include:

What are the needs of your individual community? What kinds of similar programs might already exist?

What will your collection process be? Will you collect from each individual resident, or will there be a drop-off location?

Who will be your leadership team? What will the different roles include?

How will you educate your community? Remember that not everybody will have the understanding of recycling that you do.

What will your budget be? Take into account things like fliers and other marketing collateral, transportation for collection and other unforeseen things that may come up.

What other community-focused services might be impacted by your program? Consider informing sanitation management companies of your new venture so they aren’t alarmed by new bins popping up on their routes.

How will you monitor what materials are being recycled? Is there a plan to be sure that bins and collection areas stay in good shape?

You never know the types of questions that may come up in your community, so it’s always a good idea to come equipped with more information than you think you’ll need.

Find Your Community

A community recycling program won’t be too successful without a community! First, decide who that includes. Will you start with just your next-door neighbors? Your whole street? Or, are you thinking as wide as your whole city? None of these are bad options.

You can also take into account apartment buildings, business, restaurants and schools. Remember that these populations will have large amounts of recycling, so be sure you have the means to accommodate their contributions. (But don’t let that scare you away from dreaming big!)

Get Started!

Once you’ve decided how large your recycling scope is, you can start doing things like collecting recycle bins or mapping a collection route. Then, the most important part: diving in! Remember that you are doing a positive thing for your community. It may take a couple of months to figure out what works but trial and error is a good thing! Be open to suggestions and constructive criticism, and never stop educating the community. You never know how far your program could go!

Contact AmeriSouth Recycling

If you have any questions about recycling best-practices or good places to begin, please contact us! We are glad to have citizens like you to spread the positives of recycling into your community. Get a hold of us with our online form or by calling us at 404-209-0002. You can also stop by our office at 3799 Browns Mill Road, Atlanta, GA 30354.